


A Marine Leaves No Man Behind

by The_White_Wolf



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:07:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24855073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_White_Wolf/pseuds/The_White_Wolf
Summary: Frank watches Midland Circle collapse and notices a certain vigilante didn't leave with the other Defenders, so he decides to rescue his situational ally from the ruins.
Relationships: Frank Castle & Matt Murdock
Comments: 3
Kudos: 59





	A Marine Leaves No Man Behind

Frank had stood all night on top of the building adjacent to Midland Circle. Karen had called him earlier to tell him that some sort of ancient secret society of ninjas were attacking New York, the same pricks who had attacked Hell's kitchen the year before.

From what he had managed to find out, these people from Midland Circle were somehow responsible for the earthquakes in New York. He somehow doubted that they had some sort of earthquake device, but after all, he had seen and endured, he wouldn't deny the possibility.

Frank took a sip from his thermos filled with hot coffee. The hot liquid warmed his insides before he picked up his M40, sniper rifle. The former Marine looked through the scope to watch as a woman with a leather jacket, a large African American man, an Asian woman, and a scruffy hipster with a dragon tattoo on his chest ran from the building. The cowards had left behind their ally.

He could still remember his drill Sergeant drilling into him and Russo to never leave one of their own behind. It was a code that they had to live by. A code that it seemed should be drilled into vigilantes too.

Frank adjusted his scope, looking around the perimeter of the building, to see no one leaving. Something was off, he could feel it in his gut. "Where are you Red?" Frank mumbled against his firearm as he searched the rooftops and alleyways from his position.

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen wasn't one to be out in public, near cops, and the media no less in his suit. He was a lawyer and a good one at that. He knew how dangerous that shit was.

The next thing he heard was a loud rumbling, his coffee thermos vibrated until it fell off the side of the building. Frank swore, lowering his weapon, and racing down the fire escape to his black van. He opened the case for his rifle, placed it in it, Frank then pulled his pistol from its holster. He leaned over a cot, and pulled out a flashlight from its compartment in the back of the van and grabbed some other tools he may need before heading to the site.

Frank slowly moved towards the back of the ruins of what was once a building in the middle of New York, was now all debris, he managed to scour a small section before seeing a hole that was almost covered by a large cement column.

Murdock didn't deserve to die down there in the depths of hell. He was a good man, potentially misguided, but a good man at his core, and he didn't deserve to die. Suffocation or a slow death was a bad way to go, especially alone. He hoped that he could give Red a small consolation that he wouldn't be dying alone if it had to go that way. Perhaps, if worse comes to worst, he could put his suffering at ease, as well.

Frank tied his rope to the beam and tested it, before tying it to his carabiner hook and slowly descended down into the dark depths of the earth, as he descended Frank pulled out his flashlight, and switched it on, looking at the semi-collapsed cave system.

As he descended, he noticed large bones that looked like they belonged in a museum. He finally descended and felt his boots hit the earth beneath him. Frank wondered idly if this death cult of ninjas wanted the dinosaur bones, surely they were not worth the price of leveling a city, let alone a building. At any rate, they were not the objective, Red was.

Frank noticed two women standing over Murdock, they had removed the debris around him. Holding his gun close to his chest, he aimed at the women. "Step away from him." He growled, his low growl echoing through the cavern.

The younger woman nodded, before raising her blade and lunged towards him, without a second thought, Frank shot the woman in the chest twice, and watched her fall ungracefully to the ground, he then looked over to where the old Asian woman with the cane was, only to see that she was no longer there. She had disappeared like a ghost.

Frank moved towards where he last saw the elderly woman but failed to see her at all. Frank moved towards the prone form of his situational ally. "Looks like I got here just in time, Red." Frank hoisted the man over his shoulder and followed the trail the old woman left though, eventually coming out through the sewers where they met the river.

Frank moved towards the bushes, lowered Murdock on the sandy shore, and checked his pulse. "Keep breathing Red. I'll be back as soon as I can, hold on."

Frank ran through the streets to get in his van and sped towards where he had left Murdock on the shore of the Hudson. He raced out of his vehicle, picked up Daredevil, and laid him on the cot in the back of his van.

After Frank had managed to clean him up with some water and cut off his suit to perform first aid, the man grabbed Frank's arm with a vice-like grip. "Father Lathom… please…" He begged. Frank closed his eyes as he heard the cries of an orphan crying out for his father figure. It reminded him of some of his brothers and sister at arms who would cry out for their parents or whoever looked after them as a kid.

Perhaps Murdock was a soldier in everything but the uniform. He protected and served the people of Hell's Kitchen.

"Father Lathom," Frank repeated. "I hope you can trust him with your secret. I'll take yours to my grave, and so will he, I'll ensure it. He won't betray your trust and get away with it."


End file.
